Reporter's Notebook published Jan. 26, 2013

The leader of opposition to the proposed regionalization of Sutter Coast Hospital went before the Del Norte County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday with an update and a request for further help.

Dr. Greg Duncan, the hospital’s medical chief of staff, outlined possible ways to oppose Sutter Health in its efforts to replace Sutter Coast Hospital’s Board of Directors with a Bay-Area based board and possibly redesignate the hospital as a critical access facility that would involve downsizing to a maximum of 25 beds.

In the past three and a half months, there were 55 days when the hospital had 25 or more patients, Duncan said.

“This means the hospital would have been closed to new admission on those 55 days,” Duncan said. “On Christmas Day alone five patients would have been airlifted to another hospital had we been a critical access facility. This predates flu season. This is our less busy time.”

He suggested asking the county’s taxing authority to review the hospital’s tax-exempt status.